Android storage fills up fast

Apps, images, videos and downloaded files eat up storage space on Android phones, especially after porting data between devices over years. Some files you don't even know exist occupy space.

Uninstall or archive apps

Go to Settings, Device Care, Storage, Apps to see which applications use the most space.Tap an app and hit Uninstall to remove it, or Archive to delete core files while keeping login info and settings.

Auto-archive saves space automatically

Android can automatically archive rarely used apps when storage runs low.Google says auto-archiving can free up nearly sixty percent of an app's storage space, without removing the app presence or users' data from the device.

“nearly 60 percent of an app's storage space, without removing the app presence or users' data from the device”

Back up photos to Google Photos

Use Google Photos to save cloud backups of images and videos to your Google account. All Google accounts include up to fifteen gigabytes of free cloud storage, shared across Photos, Drive, Gmail and other services.

Pay for more cloud storage if needed

Fifteen gigabytes may not fit years of photos and videos. Google One costs two dollars a month for one hundred gigabytes of storage or three dollars a month for two hundred gigabytes.

Delete backed-up photos from your phone

Once images and videos are backed up to the cloud, open the Photos app, tap your profile image and go to Free up space on this device.

Find and delete hidden files

Go to Settings, Device Care, Storage to find sections for Duplicate files and Large files. Scroll down to see suggestions for old media, downloads, pre-edit backups and app caches you can delete.

Clear cache and empty trash regularly

Streaming and social media apps can store gigabytes in cache. Clear cache regularly and empty your trash by going to Settings, Device Care, Storage and finding the Trash or Recycle bin folder.